CHRISTENING STORY HIGHLIGHTS: HOW OLD WAS YOUR BABY WHEN THEY WERE CHRISTENED?

We’re often asked, “How old should my baby be when they are christened?”. We actually don’t have a specific answer because it’s really up to the parents! When deciding, there are a few things to consider though that may help with your decision. For starters, does your church or denomination have a suggested age? Also, does your family have a traditional age for christenings? We would also suggest thinking about how you envision your baby’s christening day, such as how active of a participant you’d like your baby to be! Some parents prefer their baby is less than 6 months, so they are more contest to be held throughout the ceremony. Others prefer their child is in that 8-12 months range when they are much more aware of their surroundings and social with others.

On ourChristening Storiespage, we like to ask parents their baby’s age why they were christened and why they decided on that age. Ranging in age from 3mo to 11mo, they all had wonderful reasons why they chose the age they did! Below are a few excerpts we’d like to share with you.

“Milena was7 monthsold at the time. We live in Massachusetts so we wanted the event while the weather was still nice. We figured early Fall to make it easier for family and friends to travel. Milena’s family and friends on her father’s side reside in New York. I also have cousins that flew out from Florida and early October seemed like the perfect time.” –Florangel

“Olivia was 9 months old when we baptized her. I chose to do it before walking age because I wanted to hold her in my arms throughout the ceremony.” – Anna

“Margaret was 1 day shy of 9 months when she was christened. We had wanted to christen her earlier, but unfortunately the Priest that performed our wedding, whom we wanted to baptize her, fell ill, so we needed to find another Priest that could perform this sacrament for her. It was very important to us to have a relationship with whichever Priest would perform the ceremony. It took us a few months to decide and spend some time developing that relationship. In the end it was the right decision to wait. Father Brian did a wonderful job incorporating little tidbits about our family into the ceremony.” – Lauren

“Toby was 4 months old. I wanted him to still be a ‘baby’ and wrap him in a beautiful shawl. His brother was also christened when he was 4 months old.” – Becky

“Aria was blessed at 2 weeks old by Reverend Beverly Sealy-Knight, who also baptized her. Brian and I were discussing what age we would have her Baptized, as his family lives in Trinidad and so does one of her God-Mothers, and my family lives in Barbados. Generally, most babies are baptized as a newborn or at three months, but those dates worked against us. Brian wanted Aria to be a part of the ceremony and not to be sleeping through it. And it just happend that the date given for November, she was just under 8 months old. At the Baptism, five babies were being Baptized; two newborns and a 3 month old boy & girl twin, with Aria being the oldest. Aria was awake for most of the ceremony and very observant and inquisitive as to her surroundings and people around her. The Baptism service was at Sun Holy Eucharist and Sermon, and Aria enjoyed hearing the organ, the Hymns and of course the Baptism ceremony itself. She was a willing participant in her Baptism and it was reflected in her photos.” – Raquel

“Gavin was 3 months old when he was baptized. He was born in the middle of winter so we had to wait for the weather to break before we could hold his special event. I personally liked him being baptized at this age since he has such a big personality and it was really starting to show. He was more alert during the ceremony and was able to smile in his pictures.” – Deborah

“Emmaline was 7 months old when she was baptized. We wanted to wait until she was at least 4-5 months but since the holidays were around that time, we waited until they had passed.” – Andrea

“Ava was exactly 9 months old. There were several reason why I chose to baptize her when she was much older than most babies. 1) The Cathedral we baptized her requested that the event be booked months in advance. The Catholic Church requested that both Godparents attend a class together with the parents and baby. As Christmas gifts, Ava asked her Godparents if they would be her godparent. Based on everyone’s schedule, we determined to attend the class a few months later. 2) Ultimately I did not want Ava to be baptized so young because she would not be aware of what was going on. At 9 months old she was very alert, she could stand up, sit up, wave and also have fun at her party. This made for perfect photo opts.” – Lea

“Chiara was 8 months at the time of her baptism. There were many reasons we went with this age. Chiara is our second child and our children are very close together…life got much crazier and time was flying by! Secondly, I had to make sure that all family members and Godparents would be in town. Thirdly, I think the pictures look much nicer when the baby can sit up in their gown!” – Kristy